Caravan Essentials: The Complete Buyer’s Guide To All The Gear You Need

You’ve picked up the caravan, reversed it (badly) into the driveway, and now you’re staring at an empty van wondering what you actually need to make it functional. The answer is less than you think, but the things you do need are genuinely non-negotiable.

This guide covers the absolute essentials: the gear you need to plug in, fill up, level out, and handle the inevitable problems that crop up on the road. These aren’t the glamorous purchases. Nobody posts their new 15-amp extension lead on Instagram. But without this stuff, you can’t use your caravan. Everything else, the kitchen gear, the outdoor setup, the comfort upgrades, can wait until after your first trip. This can’t.

The Day-One Essentials Checklist

Before your first night in the van, whether it’s at a caravan park down the road or a weekend shakedown trip, you need the following:

Electrical: A 15-amp power cable (most vans include one, but check), a 15-amp to 10-amp adapter for when you’re plugged into a standard household outlet, and ideally a surge protector to save your van’s electronics from dirty power at older caravan parks.

Water: A food-grade drinking water hose (not a garden hose; those leach chemicals), a universal tap adapter to fit the various tap styles you’ll encounter at fill stations and parks, and a basic inline water filter if you’re filling from sources you’re not sure about.

Levelling: At minimum, a set of levelling ramps or chocks and a spirit level. Very few campsites are actually flat, and an unlevel van means the fridge doesn’t work properly, water pools where it shouldn’t, and sleeping on a slope gets old fast.

Safety & spares: Wheel chocks, a tyre pressure gauge, a basic toolkit (spanners, screwdrivers, pliers, electrical tape, cable ties), spare fuses for your van, and a first aid kit.

Power Cables & Electrical

Your caravan runs on 240V power when plugged in at a caravan park, and your ability to plug in depends entirely on having the right cables and adapters. This sounds simple, but there are enough variations, standards, and gotchas to catch out new caravanners.

The standard caravan power connection in Australia is a 15-amp plug and socket. Your van will have a 15-amp inlet on the outside, and you connect it to a powered site using a 15-amp extension lead. Most caravan parks provide 15-amp outlets, but lengths vary: some bollards are right next to your site, others are 20 metres away. A 25-metre cable covers most situations. A 15-metre cable will leave you short at some parks.

You’ll also want a 15-amp to 10-amp adapter for when you’re visiting friends or family and need to plug into a standard household power point. These are sometimes called “dogbone” adapters. They’re cheap, small, and essential for those nights parked in someone’s driveway.

A surge protector or power safety device is strongly recommended. Caravan park power can be unreliable, particularly at older parks and in regional areas. Voltage spikes and dirty power can damage your air conditioner, fridge, and charger. A $150 surge protector is cheap insurance against a $2,000 air con replacement.

Water Hoses & Fittings

You need a drinking water hose to fill your tanks and connect to town water at caravan parks. This must be a food-grade hose, not a regular garden hose. Standard garden hoses contain plasticisers and chemicals that leach into the water, particularly in the heat. You’ll taste it, and more importantly, you’ll be drinking it for months on end. Food-grade hoses are clearly labelled and typically white or blue.

Length matters. A 20-metre hose covers most situations at caravan parks and water fill stations. Some travellers carry a shorter 10-metre hose as well for quick fills where the tap is close. Flat hoses that roll up compact are popular for storage, though they can kink more easily than round hoses.

Fittings are the other piece of the puzzle. Australian taps come in a frustrating variety of styles, and the tap at a remote water station in outback Queensland may look nothing like the one at your local caravan park. A universal tap adapter (sometimes called a multi-fit connector) handles most variations. Carry a couple of standard click-on hose fittings as spares too; they’re the first thing to break or go missing.

Levelling Gear

Caravan fridges, particularly 3-way absorption fridges, need the van to be reasonably level to operate correctly. Even compressor fridges perform better when level. Beyond the fridge, sleeping on a slope is miserable, water pools in the shower tray, and cupboard doors swing open when they shouldn’t. Levelling your van properly every time you set up is one of those small disciplines that makes everything else work better.

At the basic end, you’re looking at a set of plastic levelling ramps (drive-up style) and a spirit level. You drive one wheel up the ramp until the van is level side-to-side, then use the jockey wheel to level front-to-back. It takes a few minutes and works well for most situations.

At the premium end, electric levelling systems do it all automatically at the push of a button. They’re brilliant, but they’re heavy (20 to 40kg for a full system) and expensive ($2,000+). For most Big Lappers, a good set of manual ramps and chocks is the sweet spot between convenience, weight, and cost.

Spares, Tools & Emergency Gear

You will fix things on the road. This is not a pessimistic prediction; it’s a certainty. Cupboard catches break, screws vibrate loose, seals start leaking, fuses blow, and hose fittings crack. The question isn’t whether something will need attention, it’s whether you’ll have the tools and spares to deal with it when it does.

The good news is that you don’t need a full workshop. A basic toolkit covering the fasteners and fittings specific to your van handles 90% of roadside fixes. The key is knowing your van: what size bolts hold the awning brackets, what fuse ratings your van uses, what diameter water fittings you have. Carry spares for the things that fail most often (fuses, hose fittings, light globes, cupboard catches, silicone sealant) and you’ll save yourself countless trips to town and hardware stores.

Emergency gear is the other half of this equation. A first aid kit, a fire extinguisher (check it’s rated for caravan use and not expired), a tyre repair kit, and a portable air compressor cover the emergencies that are most likely to happen. If you’re heading remote, add recovery gear, extra water, and a satellite communicator to the list.

What About Everything Else?

This guide deliberately covers only the non-negotiable essentials. The gear you need to make your van functional from day one. But setting up a caravan for the Big Lap involves a lot more than power cables and water hoses.

Your kitchen needs pots, pans, plates, and appliances. Your bedroom needs decent bedding. Your outdoor area needs chairs, a mat, and probably a BBQ. Your bathroom needs cleaning products and toilet chemicals. Your power system might need upgrading. You’ll want security gear, connectivity solutions, and storage systems.

All of that is covered in detail across the rest of the setup guides. The important thing is that you don’t try to do it all at once. Get the essentials sorted, do your shakedown trip, and let your setup evolve based on what you actually need rather than what a checklist on the internet told you to buy.

How Much Will This Cost?

The essentials covered in this guide will cost between $300 and $800 depending on quality and what your van already includes. Here’s a rough breakdown:

The mid-range column is the sweet spot for most people. You’re getting quality gear that will last the distance without paying a premium for features you may not need. If your van already includes a power cable and water hose (as many new vans do), your out-of-pocket drops to $200 to $400.